Posts Tagged Vatican commission
Francis: Women deacon’s commission gave split report on their role in early church / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Vatican, Voice of the Faithful, Women Deacons, Women in Catholic Church on May 8, 2019
Francis said May 7 that the main unresolved question was whether the ordination women deacons received was “sacramental” or not. He said historical documents evaluated by the commission giving the formulas for ordination of women deacons showed they “are not the same as for men’s diaconal ordination.” (National Catholic Reporter)
The Vatican commission studying the history of women serving as deacons in the Catholic Church has been unable to find consensus on their role in the early centuries of Christianity and is yet to give a ‘definitive response,’ Pope Francis said May 7.
“In a press conference aboard the flight back to Rome after his three-day visit to Bulgaria and North Macedonia, the pope said the primary question is whether women who served as deacons were ordained in a manner similar to male deacons.
“Each of the 12 members of the commission, said Francis, ‘thought differently.’
“‘They worked together,’ the pope explained. “And they found agreement up to a certain point. But each one of them has their own vision, which doesn’t accord with that of the others.’
“‘They stopped there as a commission, and each one is studying and going ahead,’ he said.”
By Joshua J. McElwee, National Catholic Reporter — Read more …
Deacons, women and the call to serve / America: The National Catholic Review
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Future of the Church, Voice of the Faithful, Women Deacons, Women in Catholic Church on December 8, 2016
The current Vatican commission exploring the possibility of women deacons has raised a number of questions about their role in the church. As ordained ministers who are neither priests nor lay people, the actual role of deacons in the parishes where they minister remains unclear to many Catholics. What are deacons, and how has their role changed over history?Could women deacons revolutionize pastoral ministry and transform the church? How can the diaconate better meet the changing needs of the faithful today? Join us for a roundtable discussion sponsored by the Fordham Center on Religion and Culture and America Media featuring:
- Nancy Dallavalle, theologian and vice president for mission and identity at Fairfield University
- Deacon Greg Kandra, blogger at Aleteia’s “The Deacon’s Bench,” multimedia editor at Catholic Near East Welfare Association.
- Rita Ferrone, contributing editor at Commonweal and blogger at “Pray Tell Blog”
- George Demacopoulos, theologian and founding co-director of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center at Fordham University
- James Martin, S.J., moderator, author and editor-at-large for America Media
By The Editors at America: The National Catholic Review — Click here to read the rest of this article and access links to videos and transcripts of the roundtable discussions.
Women deacons commission to meet in Rome for first time Nov. 25-26 / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Pope Francis, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful, Women Deacons, Women in Catholic Church on November 21, 2016
The new Vatican commission studying the possibility of allowing women to serve as deacons in the Catholic church will be meeting in Rome for the first time as a full group Nov. 25-26.
“The dates of the meeting, anticipated in recent months, was first reported Saturday by the U.S. newspaper Newsday, which spoke to commission member and NCR columnist Phyllis Zagano.
“Pope Francis’ creation of the commission, formally known as the Study Commission on the Women’s Diaconate, has been seen as signaling an historic openness to the possibility of ending the Catholic church’s practice of an all-male clergy.”
by Joshua J. McElwee, National Catholic Reporter — Click here to read the rest of this story.
Priest abuse victim is suspended from Vatican panel / The New York Times
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Clergy Sexual Abuse, Pope Francis, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on February 8, 2016
A high-profile Vatican commission on the prevention of child sexual abuse voted on Saturday (Feb. 6) to temporarily suspend one of its members, an outspoken victim of clerical abuse who accused the church of failing to deliver on its promises of reform and accountability.
“But the suspended member, Peter Saunders, said at a news conference in Rome on Saturday (Feb. 6) that he would stand his ground. ‘I have not left, and am not leaving my position on the commission,’ Mr. Saunders said. ‘I was appointed by His Holiness Pope Francis, and I will talk only with him about my position.’
“The public blowup could undermine confidence in the pope’s efforts to rebuild the Roman Catholic Church’s credibility on the child abuse issue. When the 17-member commission was created by Francis in his first year as pope, many victims and their advocates hoped that the presence on the panel of Mr. Saunders and another victim would spur the commission to act forcefully. But Mr. Saunders, who founded the National Association for People Abused in Childhood, in England, has complained that the commission has failed to produce tangible results.”
By Elisabetta Povoledo and Laurie Goodstein, The New York Times — Click here to read the rest of this story.
Francis faces a balancing act on sexual abuse reform / Cruxnow.com
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Clergy Sexual Abuse, Voice of the Faithful on October 13, 2015
A member of Pope Francis’ Vatican commission to fight child sexual abuse said Monday that when the pontiff praised the ‘courage’ of the American bishops in handling abuse during his recent trip to the United States, he was engaged in a delicate balancing act.
“That line stirred controversy among abuse survivors and their advocates, who argued that some US prelates have a less than exemplary record in terms of making the Church’s ‘zero tolerance’ standard stick.”
By John L. Allen, Jr., Cruxnow.com — Click here to read the rest of this story.
Pell seeks legal advice after Vatican official slams ‘mockery’ of abuse victims / The Guardian
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Clergy Sexual Abuse, Voice of the Faithful on June 1, 2015
George Pell has threatened legal action after a member of the Vatican’s commission for the protection of children accused him of ‘making a mockery’ of child sexual abuse victims.
“Peter Saunders, himself a victim of child sexual abuse, said Pell, Australia’s most senior Catholic cardinal, had an “almost sociopathic” disregard for victims of child sexual abuse through his repeated denial of any knowledge of abuse within the church.
‘But a statement issued on Pell’s behalf on Monday said: ‘The false and misleading claims made against His Eminence are outrageous. The cardinal is left no alternative but to consult with his legal advisers.’”
By Melissa Davey, The Guardian — Click here to read the rest of this story. Also, “Pope Francis’ finance chief promises to appear at Australian child abuse inquiry,” by Bonnie Malkin, The Telegraph
Voice of the Faithful
A lay movement for governance reform in the Roman Catholic Church, responding to the clergy sexual abuse scandal and supporting survivors.
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